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• cousin
  cousin

  noun

  the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.
• Cousin
  Cousin

  noun

  Victor 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer: founder of the method of eclecticism in French philosophy.

cousin

¹ American  

[kuhz-uhn] / ˈkʌz ən /

noun

• cousins
  plural

1. Also called full cousin, first cousin. the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.

2. one related by descent in a diverging line from a known common ancestor, as from one's grandparent or from one's father's or mother's sister or brother.

3. a kinsman or kinswoman; relative.

4. a person or thing related to another by similar natures, languages, geographical proximity, etc..

   Our Canadian cousins are a friendly people.

5. Slang. a gullible, innocent person who is easily duped or taken advantage of.

6. a term of address used by a sovereign in speaking, writing, or referring to another sovereign or a high-ranking noble.

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Cousin ² American  

[koo-zan] / kuˈzɛ̃ /

noun

1. Victor 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer: founder of the method of eclecticism in French philosophy.

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cousin ¹ British  

/ ˈkʌzən /

noun

1. Also called: first cousin, cousin-german, full cousin. the child of one's aunt or uncle

2. a relative who has descended from one of one's common ancestors. A person's second cousin is the child of one of his parents' first cousins. A person's third cousin is the child of one of his parents' second cousins. A first cousin once removed (or loosely second cousin ) is the child of one's first cousin

3. a member of a group related by race, ancestry, interests, etc

   our Australian cousins

4. a title used by a sovereign when addressing another sovereign or a nobleman

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Cousin ² British  

/ kuzɛ̃ /

noun

1. Victor (viktɔr). 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer

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cousin Idioms  

1. see country cousin; first cousin; kissing cousins; second cousin.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cousinage
  noun
• cousinhood
  noun
• cousinship
  noun
• cousinly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cousins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cousin

1250–1300; Middle English cosin < Anglo-French co ( u ) sin, Old French cosin < Latin consōbrīnus cousin (properly, son of one's mother's sister), equivalent to con- con- + sōbrīnus second cousin (presumably originally “pertaining to the sister”) < *swesrīnos, equivalent to *swesr-, gradational variant of *swesōr (> soror sister ) + *-īnos -ine ¹; for -sr- > -br- cf. December

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Explanation

If Aunt Sally has a kid, that kid is your cousin, and if Aunt Sally's kid has a kid, and you have a kid too, then your kid and Sally's kid's kid are second cousins. A cousin is a relative that's farther from you than an immediate relation like your brother or sister, usually the child of your aunt or uncle. Depending on how many children are born into your family, you might have tons of cousins you've never even met, like your distant cousin Johnny who went wild up in Alaska. We also use cousin to describe a kind of family resemblance between things, like the way barbecue sauce is the cousin of ketchup.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cousin Cousin cousins

That night, having initially been treated as a suspect, she sat in the interview suite at Stretford Police Station and named her cousin, 35-year-old former mechanic Simon Richardson, as the driver.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Looking a little like a forgotten McConaughey cousin?

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026

German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Audi’s corporate cousin Volkswagen VOW3 -0.40%decrease; down pointing triangle , have produced cars in the South for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

Its corporate cousin Volkswagen, and direct rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, all produce cars in factories across the South, in some cases for global export.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

I guess I’m not totally alone, though I doubt my little cousin can solve the jumble of fears clogging up my brain.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Catsimatidis even hired one of WABC’s legendary disc jockeys, Bruce Morrow — known to millions of baby boomers as Cousin Brucie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

The research focused on the Seychelles warbler, a small songbird that lives on Cousin Island in the Seychelles.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026

“Pre-Thanksgiving-Dinner Cousin Walk,” one Instagram ad for Jif peanut butter read last year over a picture of a guy holding open his jacket with a Jif squeeze pouch tucked inside.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Judah Cousin, 19, said male pattern baldness caused him to withdraw from family and friends and that his life was "controlled" by the condition.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025

She heard Cousin Eunice start to call her back and Father Joseph say to let her go.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Neanderthals, Homo erectus, and other ancient relatives were evolutionary dead ends – unfortunate cousins who left no descendants.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

They are cousins who have been playing together since they were 10.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

"I have young cousins, including babies, who are coughing too. It's really taking a toll on them."

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

The company selling you the annuity and the company making the loan are often cousins.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

After months of living with the old woman, the cousins had seemed to decide that Aunt Rose was suddenly worth their time.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

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Related Words

• relative

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